NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Yale University has asked the state not to pursue criminal charges against a former worker who destroyed a stained-glass window depicting slaves in a cotton field.
Corey Menafee, who is black, told reporters outside New Haven Superior Court on Tuesday that he probably shouldn’t have broken the window last month, but he found the image disturbing.
The window was inside Calhoun College, named for former Vice President John C. Calhoun, an ardent defender of slavery during the 19th century. The college’s name has been the subject of protests by students who want it changed.
The 38-year-old former dining hall employee was in court Tuesday facing a felony charge of criminal mischief and a misdemeanor reckless endangerment charge.
Yale says Menafee resigned. It says it already planned to remove the window.
The university issued a statement on the incident Tuesday afternoon.
UNIVERSITY: Dining hall worker loses job after smashing Calhoun windowpane | https://t.co/xvJQKlTkRj pic.twitter.com/WjITYR0dQG
— Yale Daily News (@yaledailynews) July 12, 2016
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